That’s what the leader of a 35-person crew in the state of Veracruz, Mexico told me as the sound of fire cackled in the air and a cloud of ash was raining down on us. The tinny monotony of machetes slicing into sugar cane stalks was a kind of musical accompaniment to one of the hardest day’s work I’ve seen.

Cutting sugar cane is not just like “running a marathon”. It’s like running while inhaling dangerous smoke from burning the sugar cane, with the risk of cutting yourself with a machete, being bitten by snakes and scorpions, and without enough water and protein to keep you hydrated and give you energy.

Seeing Mexican teenage boys, many still years before their growth spurts, working in such difficult conditions is a stark reminder that for so many in the world, economic necessity puts kids in the workforce.

According to the National Statistics Institute, 2.5 million kids are working in Mexico. A 2013 World Bank report says 870,000 working children are below age 13.

Reuters – There is currently “no justification” for asking Mexican women to postpone getting pregnant because of an outbreak of the mosquito-born virus Zika, a senior Mexican Health Ministry official said on Tuesday.

AP – Mexico’s Supreme Court has struck down language in a Jalisco state law that defines marriage as between a man and woman. The decision means Jalisco becomes the fourth jurisdiction nationwide where gay couples can automatically get married, joining Coahuila and Quintana Roo states along with Mexico City.

InSight Crime – An ongoing investigation into the Zetas has revealed how this violent criminal group used a prison to dispose of over 150 victims, focusing attention on the shocking level of corruption within Mexico’s prison system and state governments. Investigators from the Disappeared Persons subdivision of Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office say the Zetas killed more than 150 people at the Piedras Negras prison in northern Coahuila state between 2010 and 2012.

ESPN fc – Mexico’s football federation has set capturing more talent in the United States as one of its central plans of action in 2016. Santiago Banos, sporting director for Mexican national teams, announced that increasing the scouting of Mexico-eligible players in the United States was a priority for the FMF.

Smithsonian – Most tourists are drawn to Mexico’s big-name destinations, like the pre-Hispanic ruins of Chichén Itzá or the crowded plazas of Mexico City. But the country is dotted with lesser-known ruins and other cultural sites, too—places that go far beyond the obvious tourist must-sees. In an effort to highlight those other locales, Mexican tourist officials have been quietly funneling their focus—and money—toward the selection of Pueblos Magicos, or “magic towns,” all over the country.

CPJ – The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Mexican authorities to investigate the murder of Marcos Hernández Bautista, a reporter for the daily Noticias, Voz e Imagen de Oaxaca, who was shot in the head as he climbed into his car outside a bar in San Andrés Huaxpaltepec.

TeleSur – A Mexican man has turned prisoners’ creativity into a profitable business. Jorge Cueto sells leather bags with tattoo patterns that are crafted inside one of the biggest prisons in Mexico, an enterprise that has changed the lives of more than 200 people.

Bloomberg – Mexico’s peso, the worst performing major currency in 2016, is poised for a rebound by the end of this year, according to its most-accurate forecaster, Sireen Harajli, a strategist for Mizuho Bank Ltd.

SeeNews – NEXTracker has started manufacturing solar trackers in Mexico. The California-based company is using the manufacturing presence in Mexico of its new owner, electronics production services provider Flextronics.

A new World Bank report states there is a correlation between homicide rates and the number of unemployed male youths during the apex of Mexico’s drug war, a telling reminder that improving public security requires more than just criminal justice reform.

The recently released report examines the risks facing Latin America’s “ninis,” a term used to describe youth who are neither in school nor active in the work force. Using data from Mexico’s national employment surveys, the study concludes that there is no correlation between the amount of ninis and homicide rates from 1995-2013.

But there is a positive and significant correlation, the study finds, between the rate of ninis and the number of murders between 2008 and 2013, when violence related to Mexico’s drug war reached its peak.

When discussing how to improve public security in Mexico — and, indeed, the rest of Latin America — the conversation tends to center on a few key topics, such as police reform and combating criminal groups. The World Bank study cautions against taking such a myopic approach to addressing patterns of violence.

Breitbart – According to research by Mexico’s Metropolitan Autonomous University, from 1988 to 2014 Mexico has had 366 lynchings. The figure was dwarfed by the uptick in lynchings in Mexico which saw more than 63 cases where mob rule took justice into their own hands in 2015.